On April 22, 2022, the Texas Water Development Board notified the groundwater conservation district representatives in Groundwater Management Area 15 that the desired future conditions explanatory report and other materials for Groundwater Management Area 15 required by Texas Water Code §36.108(d-3) were determined to be administratively complete in accordance with 31 Texas Administrative Code § 356.33. 

On December 9, 2021, the groundwater conservation district representatives in Groundwater Management Area 15 accepted and approved the revisions to the draft explanatory report as proposed by member districts including the incorporation of the memorandum related to evaluation factors from Goliad County GCD dated November 24, 2021; and authorize the GMA 15 administrator and GMA 15 technical consultant to complete all necessary administrative activities to submit the adopted DFCs for GMA 15, the related explanatory report, and any requested technical information to TWDB on or before January 5. 2022. 

PDF of Explanatory Report (89MB)

On October 14, 2021, the groundwater conservation district representatives in Groundwater Management Area 15 adopted the desired future condition of GMA 15 as
proposed on April 8, 2021.

GMA 15 Desired Future Conditions Proposed for Adoption

The representatives of Groundwater Management Area 15 proposed the following Desired Future Conditions for Adoption on April 8, 2021:

1. The Desired Future Condition for the counties in the groundwater management area (gma-specific DFC) shall not exceed an average drawdown of 13 feet for the Gulf Coast Aquifer System at December 2080; and
2. The Desired Future Conditions for each county within the groundwater management area (county-specific DFCs) shall not exceed the values specified in Table A at December 2080: 

Table A. Desired Future Conditions for Counties of GMA 15 expressed as an Average Drawdown between January 2000 and December 2080.

• Aransas County: 0 feet of drawdown of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System.
• Bee County: 7 feet of drawdown of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System.
• Calhoun County: 5 feet of drawdown of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System.
• Colorado County: 17 feet of drawdown of the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers; and 25 feet of drawdown of the Jasper Aquifer.
• DeWitt County: 17 feet of drawdown of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System.
• Fayette County: 44 feet of drawdown of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System.
• Goliad County: 4 feet of recovery of the Chicot Aquifer; 2 feet of recovery of the Evangeline Aquifer; 7 feet of drawdown of the Burkeville Aquifer; and 14 feet of drawdown of the Jasper Aquifer.
• Jackson County: 15 feet of drawdown of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System.
• Karnes County: 22 feet of drawdown of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System.
• Lavaca County: 18 feet of drawdown of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System.
• Matagorda County: 11 feet of drawdown of the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers.
• Refugio County: 5 feet of drawdown of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System.
• Victoria County: 5 feet of drawdown of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System.
• Wharton County: 15 feet of drawdown of the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers.

Prior to voting on the proposed desired future conditions, the representatives considered numerous factors specified under Section 36.108(d) of Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code.  Additional information regarding the desired future conditions proposed for GMA 15 can be viewed by downloading the draft joint planning explanatory report: 

On May 4, 2021, the desired future conditions proposed for GMA 15 were mailed to the member districts. The letters can be viewed by downloading the following file: Transmittal Letters.

GMA 15 Desired Future Condition Explanatory Report